In August, we wrote about 13 people who applied to the Mars One mission, and at least nine of them were selected for the second round of the application process.
A total of 1,058 moved on, which is only about 1% of the over 100,000 applicants.
The qualified applicants were notified via email that Mars One Chief Medical Officer Norbert Kraft would contact them by Jan. 6, 2014. In addition to medical exams, all of the applicants will be interviewed in person by a selection committee.
"It's time to talk with your loved ones regarding your dream of starting a human civilization on Mars," the email read. "Passing the first round of selection is a major step closer to going down in history as one of the chosen few who will experience and live something that has never been done before."
The email also stressed the importance of crowdsourcing and social media.
"Use Facebook, Twitter (#Marstronaut), LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine... tell everyone you know, including friends, family, and media that you need their help... helping generate interest and funding in the Mars One mission is your first assignment."
The funding refers to an Indiegogo campaign that has been launched to raise enough money to send the four "Marstronauts" to the Red Planet to create a human civilization. Additional teams of four will be sent every two years, and the entire mission will allegedly be screened as a reality television show.
Here are the nine we previously featured who will move on to the next round:
Sybelle Silverphoenix, United States
!["[When I saw the email] I was ECSTATIC!!" Sybelle wrote to BuzzFeed in an email. "I was jumping all around screaming, I think I almost cried! If I could go back in time and tell my 4 year old self this would happen, I think I would have been even more determined."](https://img.youtube.com/vi/P3ZfIEYjBbs/mqdefault.jpg)
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"[When I saw the email] I was ECSTATIC!!" Sybelle wrote to BuzzFeed in an email. "I was jumping all around screaming, I think I almost cried! If I could go back in time and tell my 4 year old self this would happen, I think I would have been even more determined."
Brian Hinson, United States
"I'm not in the least nervous about the medical part. I'm a health freak in top shape," said Brian, who takes his shirt off in his application video to prove it.
"But the interview, yeah, I'm somewhat nervous."
Amulya Nidhi Rastogi, India
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"Reading the e-mail was the best feeling ever. The last time I cried was when I saw the 'Inhabitants Wanted' video by Mars One when they had launched their Astronaut Selection Program," said Amulya.
"I'm also the organizer of the fourth 'Million Martian Meeting' in Bangalore, India on January 25, 2014, a get-together of Mars One Astronaut Applicants, space enthusiasts, their friends and family."
Sara Director, United States
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"I actually saw the email on my phone while stopped at a gas station in the middle of an eight-hour drive — I had to reread the email three or four times before it sank in, and when it did I couldn't stop grinning and the gas station attendant was looking at me like I was some weirdo until I left," Sara said.
"I am nervous about the next round! I spent the rest of my trip thinking of possible interview questions and what I might say in response, and talking to myself alone in the car like an idiot."
Dan Carey, United States
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"When I first read the email informing me I was moving to round 2, I felt weirdly calm," Dan told BuzzFeed. "It was at least a couple of hours later before my pulse started racing with the excitement of the realization that I made it into this fairly small pool of candidates."
"Looking down the path to the next round, I plan to get more serious about a physical fitness regimen. But more importantly for the program, I recognize that I will become de facto spokesperson for Mars One. So I will be organizing my information sources and honing my responses to address the many questions and doubts that will be raised by lots of people in the media, online, and in person. "
Kitty Kane, United States
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"I fell to my knees, pounded on the floor, and screamed 'MEEEE!' at the top of my lungs. I should probably work on being a more gracious winner," joked Kitty.
"Nervousness hasn't set in yet, but I know it will... I'm reading a book about how space programs choose astronauts right now, but for all we know, they could pit us against each other in Hunger Games-style hand-to-hand combat for a spot on the shuttle. Perhaps I should be perfecting my skills with the bow or battle axe in order to bring glory to my district."
William F. Dunlap, United States
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"People always, when reading a personality profile, tend to think that they fit the profile, especially when they want to fit as much as I did, so I didn't really know if I really fit the description or if it was my own bias making me think that I did," William said.
"Receiving that email Monday took all of the doubt away and left me absolutely certain that I belong in this company."
Alison Rigby, England
When Alison read the email she felt "shocked, then euphoric." But soon afterward, she discovered that her boyfriend was not selected for the next round.
"I knew it was a long shot that either of us would make [it], but I still held out some hope that we would be able to train together."
Ara Molina, Spain
"I was on a train and I almost had a heart attack when I checked my email on my phone and saw the confirmation letter," Ara told BuzzFeed. "It was weird, because I wanted to tell everyone, but I was confined there surrounded by strangers."
"I'm going to start eating more healthy now."
Congratulations, everybody!
And here are a few of their competitors who also made it to round 2:
Paul Leeming
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Sue Ann Pien
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Angel Jane
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Steve Menaa
